The otherworldly pixie

Third.

Kane didn't appreciate falling into the dirt.

 As usual, Kane's body went limp when Philip used his power. He surfed through an empty void, barely aware of their hands touching. Kane had been surprised the first time he jumped through a dimension with Philip. To Kane, there weren't many things he didn't understand. 

The experience of Philip's powers ended abruptly, and Kane opened his eyes. He realized he was a few metres above ground and gently manoeuvred the winds around to land him on the earth.

Once Kane ensured his safety, he looked around for the other three. Joy was flying, and Thea had managed to land safely on the ground. The three looked at each other and shared a worried glance. The leader of the group was nowhere to be found. 

Just as their worry was about to overtake their sanity, a groan brought their attention to a tree. Joy, being a cute little idiot, went up to the tree and spoke, "Was that you groaning tree?"

Thea let out a little laugh at Joy's expense but quickly controlled herself. 

"I don't think the voice came from the tree, Joy. Look up, " Thea said. 

Philip was hanging off a branch, apparently not realizing that he had teleported them into the air.

All three started laughing as Kane shook his head at the scene.

Still laughing, Kane stepped forward to help Philip down from the branch. At that moment, all of them had let down their guards. Philip was severely tired from having teleported four people at the same time.

Kane felt an enormous magical pressure that rendered him incapable of moving. His eyes darted towards his companions to ensure their safety, but he found them in the same state as him. Philip's voice had quietened down, although he could still move. Whoever their enemy was hadn't realized that there were four and not three.

A voice spoke, "I don't know who you are, but you are trespassing on Imperial Lands. I hope you didn't expect to challenge us with such weak magic. You must be from one of the tomes. Their influence has been increasing lately."

Kane's eyes widened at his magic being insulted. He had been alive for over 200 hundred years, yet a mortal had mocked his magic. 

Before any of them could make sense of what was happening, five people materialized around the group. 

They all wore black clothes that rippled with their surroundings. Such camouflage could only be made by a handful of people as Kane knew. Their faces were covered with black masks that had blood-red streaks running across them. One of them had badges tied around his belt. Kane realized with a start that they were tokens of war. 

The belt-badges guy spoke again, "These three are stronger than most people. The elf can use magic, but not nearly as well as the fighters. Leave him. Take the demi-goddess and the Pixie..."

At his next words, the soldiers started to move towards Thea and Joy. Philip could barely control his anger. Kane could not let Philip's presence be sensed, so he let out his bloodthirst. It did not prove difficult, as even he wished to protect Thea and Joy. 

The four soldiers walking towards the girls stopped dead in their tracks, one of them even falling under Kane's bloodthirst. The badges guy also felt the pressure of Kane's bloodthirst. In response, he removed his dagger and placed it on Thea's throat. 

"Reel in your aura, or you shall know how it feels to lose a loved one." The badged guy chortled. Kane saw the look in Thea's eyes and knew that she was as helpless as he was. They could do nothing under the badged guy's magic. Kane glanced at the branch where Philip should have been and saw that he was no longer there. 

Hoping Philip knew better than to attack them, Kane controlled his bloodthirst. The soldiers dressed in black moved toward Joy and Thea and tied them up. Kane sensed that they used magic to prevent them from escaping.

The badge belt guy walked towards Kane and spoke into his ear, "You may have gotten through the barriers protecting this land, but you won't be able to go back. The seventh legion will not allow you to leave Aquileia."

Saying this, he touched his index finger on Kane's forehead, and Kane lost consciousness. He heard muffled sounds of protest by Thea and Joy as they were carried away until he heard nothing.

PHILIP PRINCE

Philip was groaning and laughing when suddenly Aether's voice spoke in his head, "Shut up and don't move."

Philip sensed urgency in his voice and went along with Aether's order. He looked at his friends and saw that they had all stopped. Philip felt a strange magic surrounding them, and his curiosity got the better of him. He repositioned himself on his branch to either fight or hide. He was sure that Kane would be able to beat the enemy. 

At that very moment, five soldiers appeared. Philip had been focused on the field, so he knew where they came from. Still, he couldn't believe they hadn't just materialized out of thin air. 

After the talk with Aether about Philip's hyperactivity, Philip had learnt how to observe. Then, the strongest of the five soldiers said something Philip couldn't bear to listen to.

"...I'm sure they'll fetch a high price on the market."

Philip thought about Joy being sold and his senses went off the charts. He became aware of everything in his surroundings. He could sense the powers of everyone around him, and he could sense every speck of dust under each rock in the shadow of every leaf of every tree for miles. 

Philip hadn't felt that in his entire life but he knew that the power he felt in that moment made him stronger than everyone combined. 

"Aether. I want to kill them. Can I?" Philip enquired. Even though he had lost all sense of humanity, he knew that he could not interfere in this situation.

"Philip, this power is hurting you. Give me control, for just 10 minutes. I'll take care of everything in 10 minutes."

Philip knew that he would not be able to control himself in his current state. "Fine, 10 minutes."

The last thing Philip remembered was himself teleporting away. He saw Kane unleashing his bloodthirsty nature to hide Philip's presence.